1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to a no-sepsis urinary drainage catheter, and more particularly, to a urinary drainage catheter having a drug delivery system comprising a microporous bacteriostatic barrier that diffuses a bacteriostatic fluid into the bladder by osmosis to effectively reduce the risk of sepsis in the bladder caused by the conventional Foley catheter.
2. Description of the Background Art
A urinary drainage catheter, such as the Foley catheter, is a hollow, tubular device commonly used in the medical profession for insertion into a patient's bladder via the urethral tract to permit the drainage of urine. Use of a urinary catheter is necessary for patients that are undergoing surgery, orthopedically incapacitated, incontinent, or incapable of voluntary urination. An unfortunate problem with catheterization, however, is the development of sepsis as a result of bacterial invasion in the bladder and urinary tract by pyrogenic organisms. Sepsis is potentially lethal and most prevalent in the elderly, where urinary tract and bladder infections become systemic very easily, especially if hygiene is poor and hydration of tissue is deficient. The risk of sepsis increases with the employment of urinary drainage catheters, wherein norma flora bacteria from feces or skin easily ascend into the bladder around the inserted catheter. In addition, residual urine in stasis around the retention balloon provide a culture medium at warm body temperatures that facilitate the growth of bacteria. Consequently, the bacteria is able to accumulate, multiply and become pathogenic in the bladder, eventually circulating into the kidneys and throughout the system, resulting in sepsis of the system. Because of this propensity to produce infection in the patient, medical practitioners often refuse to extend the use of catheters, despite their usefulness. Accordingly, physicians are plagued by the risk associated with catheter use, but they have yet to see a breakthrough.
Although attempts have been made to improve the catheter design, these efforts have been geared towards increasing patient comfort and finding new applications, such as treating prostrate diseases. For instance, a catheter having a lubricated outer sleeve, as disclosed by Conway in U.S. Pat. No. 5,098,379, utilizes a catheter having a single lumen enclosed by a sleeve which together form an elongated lubricated cavity therebetween such that the sleeve may slide along the outer surface of the lumen to move independently with respect to the lumen. This independent movement of the sleeve relative to the lumen represents the object of the invention wherein it is intended to prevent irritation and chafing of tissue in the body portion passageways when a patient moves.
A drug delivery catheter, disclosed by Kalb in U.S. Pat. No. 5,007,897, incorporates a three lumen catheter for draining fluid from the bladder and treating the prostrate gland. The Kalb catheter incorporates a porous membrane which lies adjacent the prostatic ducts so that medication may be transmitted along the lumen into a space between the catheter and a porous membrane for treatment of the prostrate. A path, however, is still created upon chamber insertion allowing the ascension of bacteria into and around the bladder. Thus, Kalb teaches a catheter that treats the male prostrate but continues to carry with it the risk of sepsis found with conventional catheters.
Accordingly, a need exists for a catheter that is not only insusceptible to sepsis causing side affects but that prevents and treats the same in both males and females. The instant invention is intended to address those problems left unresolved by the prior art by providing a no-sepsis urinary drainage catheter which is easily adaptable to the current medical field.